The Power Of Soccer, Education, And An Unlikely Connection In Masiphumelele

Petya Bartosch and Xolani Mahlulo come from completely different worlds, ones that would not ordinarily collide. One graduated from the Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography and was given the support and resources to pursue her passions. The other grew up in the township of Masiphumelele, not knowing his father and orphaned after losing his mother at a young age. Yet both had kindness instilled in them and believed in giving back unconditionally. So it was no surprise that when they serendipitously met in 2020 – Petya was dropping off food parcels in Masiphumelele, where Xolani happened to be coaching children in football – they went on to form the perfect team committed to upliftment.

Xolani had seen the power of sport in uniting a community, and the way kids looked up to their sports heroes, and knew that he could use soccer as a way to uplift people. “By the little things you have, you can change someone’s life” he says. Together, he and Petya founded the Bartosch Foundation, which runs a soccer and education programme every Sunday with children in Masiphumelele. When the kids aren’t playing, they’re doing lessons in Afrikaans, science, and maths to support their school learning, and sessions on yoga and farming to broaden their life skills. In addition to these sessions, they embark on monthly fun excursions that broaden the kids’ horizons and offer a greater sense of belonging. They've been to Table Mountain, the Two Oceans Aquarium, museums, science centres, beaches, and more where the kids get to be curious and grow their confidence.

As a result of a chance meeting when they could each have gone their separate ways, Petya and Xolani now consider each other best friends on a mission to help others and inspire those around them to take positive action. Together, they are ensuring that unlike their own divided childhoods with differing opportunities and resources, the children in Masiphumelele have access to endless possibilities. Much like Petya and Xolani, who knows where the journey could take them, who they might meet along the way, and how much of the world they will transform with their friendships. “It’ll always have a ripple effect,” Petya says.